No funds for deteriorating classrooms or for disadvantaged, but $1.2 million found for Mannings’ football camp at NSU

The Louisiana Board of Regents in May estimated there was a $1.7 billion backlog in repairing and renovating campus facilities in colleges and universities across the state.

But even with sewer systems that backed up into classrooms, leaky roofs, outdated laboratories and even mold among the deficiencies cited by the Regents, it’s certainly good to know that Gov. Jindal and the Louisiana Legislature could scrape together $1.2 million to make improvements to athletic facilities at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux in order to make life easier for the Manning family.

Don’t get us wrong. We have nothing against the Mannings. We were not among those who got up in arms when Peyton and Eli opted to ply their trade for the University of Tennessee and Ole Miss, respectively. In fact, Eli’s gravitation to Oxford was just natural, given that Dad Archie played there. But didn’t our Bert Jones embarrass Archie and the Rebels 61-17 back in 1970? And two years later, Jones somehow managed to get off two passes in the final four seconds, the second one to Brad Davis for a 10-yard touchdown and a 17-16 win (We know, set your watches back two seconds…).

No, this is not about Archie, Eli, Peyton and Cooper and their football camp at Nicholls.

This is about priorities.

Jindal somehow can’t find money to help the developmentally disabled in this state but he can find $1.2 million (with the assistance of State Sen. Norby Chabert, R-Houma, and State Rep. Lenar Whitney, R-Houma), to make improvements to the 25 football fields on which the Manning Passing Academy teaches some 1200 football campers—campers who, we are reasonably certain, pay a hefty fee for the privilege of receiving tutelage from the quarterbacking legends.

Pardon us for not fawning all over the Mannings and praising Jindal’s efforts to keep the passing camp at Nicholls (even though Archie Manning said he had no intentions of moving the camp). So what if they were to move the camp? Where would they take it? In all likelihood, they’d simply go to another Louisiana city.

“The improvements are good for the academy (no kidding?) but it is good for Nicholls (which classroom or professor benefits from this?) and I want to thank the folks here and the people at the South Louisiana Economic Council for working to get this done,” Jindal said, apparently forgetting for the moment the pressing need for better classroom facilities at institutions of higher education all over the state.

And did it slip his mind that he has slashed the higher education budget by 80 percent since he became governor?

“This academy has a $1.8 million impact to our state,” the governor said.

Wait. What? Did anyone at that staged announcement in the John L. Guidry Stadium’s Century Club Room on July 12 have the presence of mind to challenge that statement? Did anyone asked the governor to quantify those numbers?

If not, we will. Right here. Right now.

How does Jindal and/or the South Louisiana Economic Council calculate the economic impact of this event? Campers who stay overnight pay the Mannings, not local hotels or eateries. We love the way in which political leaders, for the sake of political expedience, pluck such numbers out of thin air.

The biggest economic impact, we would guess, would be the fees charged by the Mannings for their “academy.” And that money goes into their bank accounts, not the Lafourche Parish economy. Does anyone seriously believe the Mannings stage their annual academy for free?

Based on the academy’s fee schedule (see comments by GJD), the Mannings take in something between $500,000 and $700,000 for the four-day camp.

We let our civic proud show through when Peyton won his one Super Bowl and Eli his two. Okay, we were also thrilled when Peyton lost that one special Super Bowl to the Saints. And we were a little smug when he had that great comeback season for Denver last year. But to take funding away from needed projects and lavish it on these millionaires who are promoting…football? A game?

“They don’t have to spend their summers here,” Jindal said of Daddy Archie and sons. “They don’t have to rearrange their schedules to be here. They choose to do that.”

Spend their summers here? Try four days. Rearrange their schedules? What the hell is Jindal talking about? They specifically arrange their schedules around this annual event to rake in a small fortune—far more than the average state employee earns in a year—even more than some of Jindal’s non-classified appointive positions (readers’ collective gasps would go here). You’re damn right they choose to do that, Governor. Anyone in his right mind would choose to do that for the money they get.

Come to think of it, though, they probably spend more days at their passing academy each year than you do in Louisiana, Governor.

It’s one thing to turn your back on those in need in order to help your wealthy friends, Guv, but don’t blow smoke up our togas while you’re doing it.

16 Responses

He is giving $1.2 million of our tax dollars away for football fields.

How many state workers have lost their jobs or all the benefits they have worked years and years to earn?

How many millions of dollars has he paid his lawyer friends to fight his court battles to have every one of them ruled unconstitutional?

Correct me if Im wrong but the federal dollars Jindal is counting on to make his privatization of our state hospitials work has not even been approved to this day! The last I heard the feds were still waiting on paper work from DHH.

Please review our Refund Policy.
If you choose to change your status from an overnight camper to a day camper, or vice-versa, a $30 administrative fee will be added to your balance.

For example: If a camper has paid $420 to be a day camper, then decides to switch to an overnight camper (assuming spots remain), they would be charged the $155 difference, plus the $30 administrative fee for a total of $185.

If a camper has paid $575 to be an overnight camper, then decides to switch to a day camper, they would be charged the $30 administrative fee from the amount they’ve over paid, and therefore refunded a total of $125.

And this football mindset trickles down in to schools and classrooms where kids who are failing can still play, fail school but get their letter jacket. Try telling a middle school or high school coach his player needs to come make up a test after school. DURING PRACTICE!!! No way it will happen.

Tell parents that their child is failing your class and they need to make up assignments and they will tell you he is too busy due to practice and games. Kids get an A in library helper, an A in office worker, an F in math and an F in English and they still play. Until we have academics and athletics in this state at least at the middle and high school level and not a bunch of players who all think they are going to go pro then seeing something like this is so old for many teachers and professors.

I went to all the games when I taught middle school and high school UNTIL I was sitting there on a beautiful fall evening watching the game and realized that my several of my failing football player/students were getting awards for never missing practice, best team captain and best at practice. The same ones who refused to come for tutoring after school, neglected homework and failed tests. They put more effort into their work on the field than in my classroom. I left and I no longer go to the games.

Back in the mid 1960’s in SoCal, we had to maintain at least a C average or NO sports at all, NO extra-curricular activities of any kind without a C average.
Is it so hard to ask for that today? To demand it? Scholl is to educate, to teach kids critical thinking, or it once was.
How many remember back in the early 1970’s and I think it was “60 minutes” did a report on college kids who were no longer eligible for sports and could barely read/write their own names. the parents wanted to sue the schools. Learning begins at home people. Or is this old former US Marine/Vietnam war vet just whistling in the dark?
Oh, right, I play foo’bawl………..Big deal, get an education. They will become cannon fodder for the next useless war of choice. ENOUGH!!!

Where were the parents all along???? That is precisely the root of the problem – parents… If parents demanded an education from the teachers AND their progeny then we would not have these issues. If parents demanded rules regarding grade point averages and athletics the rules would be there. And they would be enforced but nowadays folks want to pay college athletes, they want to “sign” kids in grade school…. That is pathetic. No good could possibly come from this. And for those of you who say “for some of these kids that is their way out” I say that is MAYBE one way out but so is a great education. With the technology we have at our access, i.e. libraries etc, if the parents want their children to get it they can. They should work as hard at getting their kids an education as they do at chasing their favorite football/basketball/hockey/whatever team.

Saturday, Lindy Boggs death was announced, and Jindal indicated that she was a person who worked with both democrats and republicans and how wonderful she was cause he never heard anything negative said by her. Well be it resolved that the same will never, ever be said about him. She was a great Lady and a wonderful representative for the State of Louisiana. Needless to say Jindal will never be able to walk in her shoes and receive the respect that has been and will be given to her, for he doesn’t care about the “little People” only the “Yes” people he has managed to lead to hell with himself.

Nicholls almost lost the camp to Disney World a couple of years back. Obviously the Mannings want to stay in Thibodaux but after two years of having the camp on cement because of rain this capital outlay request insured that the camp would stay here. Let’s keep in mind that capital outlay money is constitutionally protected to exist every year meaning they have to give it out. I do not think they can cut these funds from the budget. Operational monies for higher education is not protected which is the reason why me and my colleagues haven’t seen a pay raise since 2008. This camp is good for the state of Louisiana and especially bayou region. People come from all over the world to attend the camp. They get to experience the great hospitality of South Louisiana. The one factor that you can’t put a dollar value on is the marketing impact of the over 100 media folks from around the country that write stories about Nicholls and the city of Thibodaux.

$1 million dollars is a very small percentage of the billions that are dished out every year for capital outlay.

This is a very sound investment by the state.

The Economic Impact of the MPA

In order to calculate the economic impact of the MPA to the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, an impact multiplier model from Michigan State University was used for tourism activity in small metropolitan areas.

The basic inputs include the following:
• 1,277 MPA camp participants averaging four nights stay, equals 5,105 visitor nights
• 1,108 campers from out-of-state with an estimate average family member travel companion of 1.5, averaging four nights stay, equals 6,648 visitor nights
• 1,063 campers are overnighters in NSU facilities at $155 per night, 214 are day campers
• Average motel stay night of $155.00 including meals
• Average camper stay night of $185.00 including meals
• Average day camper expenditures of $45.00

One of the standard responses to any questionable project is to claim it constitutes only a small percentage of the overall capital outlay expenditures. But when you multiply “only a small percentage” several hundred times throughout the Capital Outlay budget, you end up with some significant expenditures—all while repairs to college campuses are ignored and while roads and bridges continue to deteriorate. Certainly the economic impact may be good for Thibodaux (though I still question the $1.8 million figure—there are, after all, lies, damn lies and statistics) but to pour this money into football and other wasteful projects like golf courses throughout the state when the real needs of this state are so great—and unmet—is foolish.

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